Slow Boat to Purgatory Series by Vernon Baker

Gaspar De Rouse, an immortal Knight Templar, a man murdered by his brothers for the secret he possessed, resurrected and given a second chance at redemption. Dominicus Bureau, a renegade priest, torn between his vows and the secret he pursues, a secret protected by an immortal. Alex Donovan, a modern day warrior thrust into an ages old war, a war between good and evil, heaven and hell. All three, passengers on a Slow Boat To Purgatory.

Alex Donovan survived battle against insurgents in Afghanistan, and again in Zurich against a fallen angel. Now he must fight for his soul, drawn into a war that has waged across the centuries between angels and demons for control of a legendary relic more valuable than the Shroud of Turin. Gaspar de Rouse, a mere man with the gift – or curse – of immortality, is the latest in a long line of devoted guardians who have protected the secret for two thousand years... moreAlex Donovan survived battle against insurgents in Afghanistan, and again in Zurich against a fallen angel. Now he must fight for his soul, drawn into a war that has waged across the centuries between angels and demons for control of a legendary relic more valuable than the Shroud of Turin. Gaspar de Rouse, a mere man with the gift – or curse – of immortality, is the latest in a long line of devoted guardians who have protected the secret for two thousand years. He received his sacred duty centuries earlier, passed down through generations of Knights Templar, to serve as The Arimathean. Gaspar enlists a reluctant Alex into the conflict when Alex inherits his grandfather’s estate, which includes the historical records of the legend and ownership of an abandoned medieval church. From ancient Jerusalem to the mountains of France, from the coast of Maine to the canals of Venice, the clues unfold, the mystery deepens, the final showdown looms as good and evil clash yet again over a relic so powerful, if it even exists, its exposure would rip apart the modern world. less